Winter Surprises
by Accio Lumos
Summary: Thomas Bennet is facing a lonely Christmas, his children all gone and his wife wanting a divorce. The harsh winter has made it impossible for his family to come home. Or so he thinks. Will Thomas get the family Christmas he believes he'll miss? Elizabeth certainly wants him to...A sequel piece to Autumn Changes.
1. Teaser: 22nd December

**A/N:** This is something that I wanted to post last Christmas but decided not to. It's an idea that I wanted to carry on with the characters from Autumn Changes, set four months after the epilogue. It's a Christmassy story, and this is just a little teaser for you all until I post the rest of the chapters over the Christmas period.

I hope you enjoy, chapter one will come around the 20th December.

 **Disclaimer: Sadly I'm not Jane Austen.**

 **Winter Surprises**

It was the harshest winter in his opinion. Well, the harshest winter he had ever seen since he'd been born. The snow was falling hard and fast, making him unable to get out of his front door for more than a few seconds without shivering; even with the three layers of clothing he was wearing underneath his coat. But the fireplace was roaring with hot blazing flames as he sat in front of it, just the way he preferred. In his opinion, there was nothing better than a fireplace, it reminded him of the good old days when his daughters were young.

Longbourn had once been filled with the sound of his five daughters running up and down the staircase, with Lydia often moaning and groaning over why she had to share a room with Kitty when the others had their own. Mary would sit at the piano practicing pieces she had come home with from the school music teacher while Jane and Elizabeth would be outside making a snowman before watching Christmas films with him on the TV in the living room. But now it was just him.

Thomas Bennet had always loved this time of year. But the last few years, Christmas had been a tough one. Due to Fran's fallout with Elizabeth when Tom was a baby, she would refuse to have their daughter and grandchildren admitted to the house, so Christmas was a split family holiday. And now, he was soon to be divorced and spending Christmas by himself. The snow had made it impossible for Jane and Charles to drive the three miles with Amelie, Hannah and Megan to spend Christmas with him. And Elizabeth was stuck with William, Alice, Rose, Tom, Ally and Henry at Pemberley. Kitty was in Australia with her husband and Mary and Penny were working with the homeless people in Watford.

A lot had changed in the last four months since his youngest grandson had been born. His wife claimed to be fed-up with him constantly choosing Elizabeth and Jane's side over hers and Lydia's and announced she wanted a divorce. After thirty-one years of marriage, his wife walked out on him and moved in with her brother in Spain and Lydia had gone with her. Having Fran walk out on him had been a bit of a shock but ultimately, he knew it was probably for the best. He and Fran had been arguing more than they had shared pleasant conversations since Tom had been born and she didn't have a relationship with their granddaughters from Jane and Charles and neither did she have a relationship with Elizabeth's four children, his daughter had severed ties with her mother when Rose was four.

So here he was, sat in his favourite armchair by the fireplace in his study, feeling quite lonely that he wouldn't be able to see his children or his grandchildren. He couldn't see them open their presents and he couldn't see their excited faces or hear their squeals of enjoyment when they went sledging down the hills that surrounded the village. He wouldn't be able to enjoy the delicious turkey that Charles would have cooked up for them to eat and he wouldn't be able to watch Disney film after Disney film with his grandchildren after dinner.

It was the first Christmas he would spend alone.

And he understood. His children were grown up now, leading their own lives. He wouldn't get to see them all as much as he would have liked to see them. Elizabeth had moved her little family back to Will's family estate in Derbyshire because her husband needed to take over his inheritance, her children were all settling into their new home and still grieving the loss of their other grandfather. Hell, one of his daughters lived on the other side of the world now, she'd already have opened Christmas presents. But it didn't stop him from feeling like the nest was well and truly empty.

Thomas pulled the book up from the side table, going to the place he had last marked and his eyes beginning to take in the written words on the page.

But little did he know that while he was feeling lonely and facing the possibility of a lonely Christmas, his daughters had other ideas in mind…


	2. 23rd December

**Chapter One**

 **23rd December**

The sound of laughter could be heard in the grounds of Pemberley as the Darcy siblings played together in the snow. Elizabeth smiled as she watched her three children play from the living room, holding her snoring baby against her chest.

"I told them they have ten more minutes before they have to come in," a voice said from the doorway, "Rose was adamant she wanted to stay outside a bit longer, but I don't think she'll appreciate freezing to death."

Elizabeth smiled, rocking backwards and forwards on her feet. To her, it was amazing how fast their children were growing. Even at ten, Rose was still cheeky and tried to push her luck in staying outside longer than she was allowed.

"She's always loved the snow, even when she was younger than Ally and we lived at Longbourn, it was magical to her." Elizabeth said warmly.

Turning around, she saw her husband walk over to her with a smile on his face, placing his hand on the back of the baby she was cradling.

"How did Henry do?" Will asked.

"The only downside to breastfeeding is you can't measure the amount of milk they are taking in. I'm thinking of expressing the breastmilk and then bottle-feeding Henry. I'm exhausted!" Elizabeth yawned.

"Whatever you are comfortable doing, I'm comfortable with too. If you choose to bottle-feed him your breastmilk, then I'll help with the night feeding." Will said.

"I know. I may have a chat with our health visitor about support groups to get some tips about pumping, the last thing I want is to have my supply dry up. I want him to have breastmilk as long as I'm able to feed him like this."

"I know, Lizzy. Do you want me to take him?"

Elizabeth carefully handed over Henry to his dad, watching in admiration as Will cradled the baby in his arms. Even at four months old, Henry was still tiny.

"Apparently Georgie is thinking about expanding her little family." Will said quietly.

"I thought she said having her hands full with an eighteen-month-old was enough?" Elizabeth laughed.

"She said she wants Annie to have a brother or sister soon and while me and her are close, she doesn't want Annie to have the same age gap between a sibling as we have."

"I suppose that's understandable. But at the same time, there is ten years between Rose and Henry and she absolutely adores her baby brother."

"Not hard there," Will smiled, "Rose is good with all of them. I think we lucked out on how well our kids get along."

"Well…aside from Ally trying to dress Tom up in her dress-up clothes and then whine that he's not being kind when he refuses." Elizabeth laughed.

Will laughed too, placing Henry down in his basket that lay in the corner of the living room. Elizabeth looked down at her infant son, noting silently that while Henry was still quite small, it wouldn't be much longer until the basket would be put away for the last time.

"Georgie asked if we were set on four." Will informed her, sitting on the sofa.

Joining her husband, she rested her head on his shoulder. She knew that Will had always wanted them to have a large family, he had only the one sibling, his mother had died when he was reaching his teenage years and his relationship with Reginald had been somewhat strained in the years before his father had his liver transplant. She had grown up in a large family, with four sisters she was used to a large family. But her pregnancy with Henry had been rough and she had been in slow labour for a week before Henry decided to make an appearance. Each of her pregnancies had been different. With Tom, they hadn't told anyone until her twenty-week scan because they had been told she was a higher risk of having a baby born with Down's syndrome and opted to have an amniocentesis. With Ally, he'd hone into premature labour at thirty-four weeks with a three week stay in the neonatal unit at the hospital. Her easiest pregnancy she'd have to say was her first.

"I know you want a large family, Will, but I don't think I can handle another pregnancy. I've just had a baby and the pain of contractions on and off for a week meant I didn't get any sleep." Elizabeth sighed.

"I know. I would never push you into having another baby if you didn't want another one. I just think my desire for a large family stems from having the one sister and then missing out on those few years with Rose-"

"I know, darling, I know. But you have four beautiful children and the way that you and Rose are together, you wouldn't think you missed those first few years of her life."

"Four it is then." Will agreed happily, kissing the top of her head.

"Besides, if we have anymore I think my dad will go into shock. Let one of my other sisters give him a grandchild. He's got four from us, three from Jane." Elizabeth laughed.

"Now there's a question, would Jane and Charles have any more?" Will asked.

Elizabeth shook her head. Jane hadn't exactly had it easy with her pregnancies. After Amelie had been overdue and ended up being delivered by a caesarean section, Jane had gone on to have another two daughters with Charles: Hannah and Megan. Both her nieces ended up being delivered by caesarean sections because Jane had difficulty delivering them and after Megan had been born, her older sister had decided not to expand her family.

"I think she's set with her three. I know dad would like to be surrounded by grandchildren, but he's accepted he won't get any more from me and Jane." Elizabeth replied.

"How is your dad?"

"He says he's fine…but I know when he's trying to persuade me he is when really he's lonely. It's going to snow down there over the Christmas period which means that Jane, Charles and the girls will be stuck at Netherfield and he'll be alone at Longbourn."

"What about Mary and Penny? Are they not going to pop in and see him?" Will asked.

Elizabeth shook her head.

"No, they're volunteering this Christmas. Kitty is in Australia with Denny and Lydia has moved with Francine to Spain." She replied with a sigh of dread.

Will raised an eyebrow at her, causing her to smirk slightly.

"What?" she asked with a laugh.

"I know what you're going to ask me, Elizabeth." Will stated, his voice both strict but amused.

"Have you somehow become a telepath, darling?" Elizabeth asked teasingly.

"No," Will whispered huskily as he titled her head up, pressing his lips to her neck, "I just know when you're going to persuade me to something."

"And what…am I going…to ask you?" she asked breathlessly, a shiver running down her spine as she felt her husband continue to kiss her neck.

"You're going to ask me if we can spend Christmas at Longbourn." Will whispered, his lips at her ear and tugging on her earlobe.

She let out a quiet gasp of pleasure before meeting her husband's gaze. They had been back together for seven years, married for six and she still saw him look at her as if there were nobody else in the world for him, and she felt the same. Six years of marriage and four children and their desire and love for each other hadn't faded.

"What if I was going to ask you if we could spend Christmas with my dad?" Elizabeth questioned.

"I know that's what you were going to ask. You're worried about him being lonely now that the nest is empty, and his wife has asked for a divorce. You think it will be good for the kids to spend Christmas with their grandad, it'll be their first without my dad." Will answered.

"And what would your answer be, if I were to ask you?"

Will smirked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"You're adorable when you insist on carrying on the 'hypothetical scenario' routine." He commented.

Elizabeth let out a laugh.

"Your answer?" she pressed.

Will kissed her on the cheek.

"You already know the answer. There is nothing I wouldn't give to you, Lizzy." He whispered.

"Thank you. Do we tell the kids?"

Will shook his head.

"I have to make a few calls, make sure the roads around Meryton are cleared and graveled. We have to pack for a few days, make sure that the staff here will be alright and make sure that Charles and Jane can make it to Longbourn at some point. Would your dad be okay with us staying there?"

"I was kind of thinking that we'd surprise him…he said he understood why we had to stay here but I think it would really make him happier if it was a surprise."

"Alright. But considering we've rented our house in Meryton out, we're going to have to stay at Longbourn." Will reminded her.

"I know. Dad won't mind if we stay with him, he'd love it. He doesn't know what to do with all the empty bedrooms now that Lydia has completely packed her belongings out. I know he's redecorated Lydia's and the guestroom." Elizabeth said.

"Okay. I'll make these calls now, I'm sure someone would be willing to earn a lot of money to clear some roads."

"And just how much money are you going to offer?"

"That's for me to know, sweetheart. But it doesn't matter how much, if it ensures your happiness and the happiness of the people you love, that's all that matters to me."

"I love you, Fitzwilliam Darcy." Elizabeth said warmly.

Will stood up from the sofa, leaning down and placed a lingering kiss on her lips before parting.

"I love you, Elizabeth Darcy." Will replied with a warm smile.

Watching as her husband left the living room, she heard the footsteps of her older three children enter the entrance hall, their wellington boots being kicked off and the sound of coats, scarves, hats and gloves being hung over the bannister before her son, two daughters and Alice came into the living room. Elizabeth smiled at their red noses and cheeks as they sat on the floor as she switched on the TV and put on a Christmas film they had recorded on the TiVo.

ooOoo

"Okay…run me through this again." Jane requested for the third time.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes as she let out a laugh, pressing the phone firmly against her ear.

"We have some last-minute plans for Christmas, we're coming to Longbourn to spend it with you guys and dad." Elizabeth replied.

"Yeah I get that part Lizzy. But how? You know heavy snow is forecasted from tomorrow night, it's been snowing on and off here for the last few days. It's been so bad at Netherfield that we can't even get our car out of the driveway." Jane said gloomily.

"Will is paying generously for some of his business partners in Meryton to shovel the snow around the village, they were all willing to help out when Will explained the situation of dad being alone and the kids needing to spend Christmas with their grandad and because of the weather conditions, he's paying them generously; although he wouldn't tell me the amount. He's also sending Charles a bank transfer to pay your staff to clear the roads around Netherfield tomorrow afternoon. I've already checked the forecast and it's raining when we plan to travel so that should also help to clear it before the forecasted snow starts falling around nine at night. We're leaving here with Alice and the kids at three in the afternoon and plan to be at Longbourn for six in the evening. If the rain is heavy tomorrow afternoon, then the snow won't lay because the ground will be too wet. It should work out." Elizabeth explained.

"Your husband is too generous for his own good." Jane laughed.

"He knows it's important to me. I called Mrs. Hill yesterday, she said that dad was sat alone at the fireplace yesterday during the snowfall you guys had down there yesterday. He's lonely, Jane. I know you have been stuck at Netherfield since the snow came but I really don't want dad to be on his own." Elizabeth sighed.

"I know. I'm worried about him too. So, let's say your plan goes ahead the way we want it to, are you telling dad you're coming?" Jane asked.

"Nope. We want to surprise him." Elizabeth replied.

"You've thought of everything, haven't you?"

"Almost. We still need to work out how we're doing the travelling. With four kids, three adults and a LOT of presents to put in the car, we might end up having Will drive Alice's five seater and then have me or Alice drive our eight-seater. Will is sorting out the insurance paperwork now."

"Do you need me to do anything?" Jane asked.

"Just make sure you can try and get to Longbourn on Christmas day, bring some of your food. Mrs. Hill is popping to the shops for us today to get some last-minute things and Alice is going to pack a few bits as well, so we can all have a nice Christmas dinner." Elizabeth replied.

"Alright. Text me a list of things you need me to do and I'll delegate."

"Thanks Jane."

"No need to thank me Lizzy. I don't want dad to be on his own either. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that everything goes in our favour."

"I hope it will. I'll text you that list over once I've put Ally and Tom to bed."

"Goodnight Lizzy."

"Goodnight Jane."

Hanging up the phone, she heard a scuffle of footsteps outside the living room door. Smiling to herself, she didn't even bother looking over her shoulder.

"You can come out now Rose." Elizabeth called.

Sure enough as she turned around, her eldest daughter stood in the doorway.

"How much did you overhear?"

Rose looked at her impishly.

"All of it." Her daughter replied.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"How many times have I told you not to listen at the door?" she asked.

"A lot but how else would I find out what goes on?" Rose questioned with a shrug.

"It's not polite."

"You were only talking to Auntie Jane. Are we really spending Christmas with grandad?"

Seeing no point in lying to her daughter, Elizabeth nodded. She smiled as her daughter's brown eyes lit up in excitement, bouncing up and down on the spot with her curly hair flying in all directions. Rose had always had a close connection with Grandad Bennet. Having fallen pregnant just before her nineteenth birthday and having to raise her daughter alone while she was still in university, she knew that she couldn't have gotten through the first three years of Rose's life without her dad or Jane. Her dad had always been devoted to Rose, often looking after her when Elizabeth needed to attend lectures, or exams and eventually when she went on to work at the local primary school in the village. Her dad had been her rock through those three years, he and Jane had been her constant support and it was partly because of how he had supported her through her pregnancy and early motherhood that Elizabeth didn't want him to be on his own at this time of year.

"Yes. But you CAN'T tell your brother and sister, it's meant to be a surprise." Elizabeth instructed firmly.

"I won't say anything mum, I swear." Rose promised.

"Good. Now, can you go and see if Ally and Tom are finished in the bath for me? Help Nanny with getting them ready while I feed Henry please?" Elizabeth asked.

Rose nodded, hugging her tightly before running out of the room and up the stairs in the direction of the family wing of the large manor house. While she loved how magnificent Pemberley was, how peaceful and how much calmer it was with their vast grounds, she missed the place she once called home. Longbourn was where she had been born, her mother had insisted on a homebirth when Fran had been pregnant with her, it was where she had always felt safe. It was where she had made the best memories with her dad and sisters (Lydia and her mother, not so much) and it was where Rose had first called home. It held a special place in her heart and the idea that her dad was going to be unable to make new memories in her childhood home tore her up inside.

But, she was determined to give her dad the Christmas he deserved. She just hoped it would go the way she wanted.


	3. Christmas Eve

**Chapter Two**

 **Christmas Eve**

The cars were packed up, the engines warming up the interiors ready for the Darcys to begin their journey to Longbourn. Will helped Alice strap Ally and Tom into their car seats that had been placed in the back of the eight-seater before taking the infant car seat out of Elizabeth's arms and placed the baby into the middle row of seats as Rose scrambled into the same row on the other side of the car.

"Where are we going mummy?" Tom asked.

"On an adventure." Elizabeth replied with a smile.

Once all four children were strapped in, the doors were closed as Will finished giving the staff some instructions for while they were away. Bidding his staff a merry Christmas, he turned back to his wife, wrapping his arms around her as he smiled at the tint of red on the tip of her nose.

"You ready to go?" Will asked.

"Almost." Elizabeth replied quietly.

Will raised an eyebrow as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. Smiling against Elizabeth's lips, he deepened the kiss as her arms wove around his neck and pulled him closer. In seven years, he still loved that rush of butterflies he got when he kissed her, that spark that ignited between them, the way his heart raced whenever he caught her eye. As her tongue dipped into his mouth, he groaned quietly. She knew just how much he loved her, just how to drive him crazy, how to make it so that everything else around them was drowned out. With her, that love he felt, nothing else had ever come close.

He kept the kiss slow, not even hearing the car door open. Elizabeth broke off the kiss, smiling up at him with her eyes lit up. His forehead bumped against hers but before anything could be said between them, he felt a sharp cold feeling hit the side of his face. Looking up and in the direction of the car, he saw Rose holding another snowball in her hand.

"Are we going or not?" his daughter called out impatiently.

"Get back in your seat please." Elizabeth instructed.

"Come on! I want to go!" Rose protested.

"That's enough young lady!" Will said sternly.

Dropping the snowball to the ground, Rose opened the car door and scrambled back inside; slamming the door firmly closed behind her.

"She's just excited about Christmas and seeing my dad." Elizabeth said quietly.

"I know but that doesn't mean she gets to interrupt my few minutes alone with you." Will grumbled.

"Now who's acting like a sulky child?" Elizabeth teased.

He ran his fingers through her loose strands of hair, it had been a while since she had worn her hair down during the day, having learned that Henry liked to tug on it if she did as all babies do.

"I'm not going to have much alone time with you, so I wanted to make the most of the few minutes we had before we set off on a three-hour drive."

"I know."

Placing a light kiss to her lips, Will pulled away reluctantly.

"So, the plan to stop at the services in an hour and a half to give Henry his feed and take the kids to the toilet is still going ahead?" Elizabeth asked.

Will nodded.

"We'll have half the journey done by then and it gives us a chance to stretch our legs, let the kids empty their bladders and then we'll get them a snack. Have you spoken to your dad today?"

"No. Alice has offered to drive the rest of the journey after we're finished at the services, so I'll give him a call as we're driving through Meryton."

He smiled.

"Under the pretense that you're just checking in on him?" Will asked.

Elizabeth returned his smile amusingly.

"I can't wait to see his face when he opens the front door and sees we've come to spend Christmas with him. He'll be so pleased to spend Christmas with his grandkids." She replied.

"And has Jane and Charles done their part of the plan?"

She nodded.

"Yeah, Jane called me this morning. They've cleared the snow around Netherfield and the villagers have cleared the snow in the village, they've even gritted them. So far it hasn't snowed today in Meryton."

"Let's hope that it stays that way."

Giving her one last kiss, the two of them went to their separate cars and buckled up, looking up at their large manor house one last time before pulling out of the driveway to begin the three-hour journey to the Bennet family home.

ooOoo

The car was filled with Christmas songs playing on her CD player with the kids singing along happily as Elizabeth focused on the motorway. As predicted, the rain was falling against her windscreen, the wipers swishing across to wipe away the water.

"Mummy where are we going?" Tom asked.

"It's a surprise." Elizabeth replied.

"I thought we were staying home?" Tom questioned.

"We had some last-minute talks and decided to spend Christmas somewhere else, Tom." Elizabeth answered.

"Where? 'Cause dad told me not the pack my dinosaurs." Tom complained.

"It's only for a few days Tom, and you never know what Santa might bring you for Christmas." Alice chuckled.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes as she focused on the road, Tom always complained about long car journeys and she knew that she couldn't keep it a secret from the younger two for much longer. At least Rose hadn't spoiled the surprise for her younger brother and sister, usually Rose got a little too excited and couldn't contain her excitement at spending time with their grandad. As she continued to drive she saw a signpost indicating that the services were a mile away.

"Right kiddos, we're stopping at the services for a toilet break." Elizabeth said loudly.

As she continued to drive, switching lanes to pull into the one that led to the services, she groaned when she heard the words she hadn't wanted to hear just yet.

"This is where we go when we're seeing grandad!" Tom yelled excitedly.

"Mummy are we going to Longbourn?" Allly asked.

"Yes, we are. We're spending Christmas with your grandad, auntie Jane, Uncle Charlie and the girls." Elizabeth replied warmly.

"YAAAAYYY!" came the cheers from the back seat of the car.

Elizabeth laughed, looking in her mirror to see that the look of happiness on Ally's face and knew that Rose and Tom's would share that same look at their little sister.

"Does grandad know we're coming?" Rose asked.

Elizabeth shook her head, still smiling to herself.

"No. It's a surprise for him too."

ooOoo

Thomas Bennet sat by his fireplace reading one of his favourite books, a fresh cup of tea on the side table next to his comfortable armchair. This Christmas eve had been one that he had spent differently. There had been no phone call from Lydia, not that it surprised him his youngest daughter hadn't called him, and he knew that Kitty would call him when she could, living on the other side of the world was a bit difficult to keep in touch with family. Mary and Penny had popped in this morning, exchanging Christmas cards and presents and then they had left. So, he had put his presents from his middle daughter and girlfriend underneath the Christmas tree, the large one he had no real need to put up and decorate anymore if it was just him, and got on with some of the smaller DIY jobs he had been putting off for months; needing a good distraction.

Mrs. Hill had made lunch for the two of them and they had sat together watching an afternoon TV programme in the living room for a good hour before they went back to the jobs that awaited the two of them. Thomas had tried to insist that his housekeeper should go home and spend some time with her family, but Mrs. Hill had replied that she would be going home to an empty house, having lost her husband last year and her children spending Christmas with their in-laws this year.

"Why don't you join me for dinner tomorrow?" Thomas asked.

"Oh, I don't want to be a bother…" Mrs. Hill said quickly.

"You won't be a bother. I'll be on my own. Why should the two of us spend Christmas day alone when we could enjoy it together for a little while?"

Mrs. Hill seemed to hesitate about his offer until she smiled and nodded her agreement. And the two of them went back to work.

And now he was sat in his study as Mrs. Hill was putting away some food she had bought had the last minute for their dinner tomorrow. He tried not to think about what he would be missing out on, not seeing his grandchildren open their presents, not hearing their laughter or seeing their lit-up smiles and eyes. Christmas for him was about family, his grandchildren were all so young; the eldest being ten and the youngest still a baby. But he knew it was going to snow in Jane and her little family at Netherfield and Elizabeth was trying to adjust her family into Pemberley after Reginald's death earlier this year.

Finishing the last sentence of the chapter, he flipped the page to start the next one when the phone on the side table began to ring. Looking down at the screen, he saw his daughter's name pop up and he smiled slightly. Thomas made a tiny fold in the top corner of the page and closed the book, placing it on the side table as he pressed the answer button on the phone and pressed it to his ear.

"Hello Lizzy." He greeted.

"Hey dad, how are you doing?" Elizabeth asked.

"I'm fine, Lizzy, you don't have to keep checking on me." Thomas chuckled.

"I know but it's Christmas eve. I just wanted to call and wish you a Merry Christmas."

Thomas let out a breath.

"Merry Christmas, Lizzy. I hope you and the children are having a lovely day."

"It's been a bit long; the kids are tired. So, have you had a lovely day?" Elizabeth asked.

"It's been nothing out of the ordinary, I managed to get a few of the smaller odd jobs done that I've been putting off for a while and Mrs. Hill is coming over to join me for dinner tomorrow, so you have no need to worry, I won't be on my own." Thomas replied.

"So…no unexpected surprises?"

"No…like I said, nothing out of the ordinary."

There was a knock on the front door, causing Thomas to frown.

"Hang on Lizzy, there's someone at the door." He requested.

"Oh. I wonder who it could be."

"I have no clue…"

Thomas got out of his chair, padding out into the entrance hall and pulled open the front door.

"SURPRISE!"

Thomas dropped the phone to the floor as he jumped out of his skin. He couldn't help but grin from ear to ear as three of his grandchildren flung their arms at him. Ally wrapped her arms around his right leg and clung on tightly as Tom took the right side of his body and Rose took the left as they hugged him as hard and tight as they could. His eyes met the amused green eyes of his daughter and he let out a breath of contentment.

"You came all this way?" Thomas asked, wrapping his arms around his grandchildren.

Elizabeth nodded.

"I didn't want you to be alone for Christmas." She replied.

Thomas felt tears of happiness fill his eyes as the three children released him from their embrace and rushed into the house behind him. As Elizabeth stepped into the house, she wrapped her arms around her dad and hugged him.

"Merry Christmas daddy." She whispered.

Closing his eyes and returning his daughter's hug, he smiled to himself. This was the best Christmas present he could have ever been given.

"Merry Christmas, Lizzy."

And with that, Will entered the house carrying Henry in his infant car seat and Alice strode in after him closing the door behind her. They all followed the children into the living room whilst Mrs. Hill put the kettle on to boil and they began to spend Christmas eve in a way that Thomas Bennet thought he wouldn't get to do this year.

ooOoo

The snow from the previous night had been cleared thanks to the afternoon rain today, so when Jane had arrived with her little family, her dad had been doubly surprised. Her nieces had given her a brief cuddle before running into the living room to greet their deeply missed cousins. Amelie, now six, looking more and more like Charles every day, her long red hair had been tied into a French braid and luckily, Jane knew by now not to dress her eldest daughter in tones that clashed with Amelie's red hair. Hannah, now nearing her fifth birthday after Christmas, was the spitting image of Jane with shoulder length blonde hair and bright blue eyes and Megan, who would be three in February, had inherited the Bingley red hair but the rest of her was Jane.

"You made it down alright then?" Jane asked happily.

Elizabeth hugged her sister tightly.

"Yeah no problems." She replied.

"The snow here has been practically washed away but the forecast says that it will get colder tonight then it has already been." Charles informed them.

"Well Rose would love that." Will laughed.

"We've packed a bag for a few days just incase we can't get back to Netherfield tonight." Jane said.

"Where are you all going to sleep?" Thomas chuckled as he bounced Henry on his knee.

The adults were all sat in the living room, taking up all the furniture while the children were sat on the floor watching The Snowman and The Snow Dog.

"Rose and Ally can sleep in her old room. Alice can take the guest room, Jane and Charles in her old room, Me, Will and Henry in mine, Tom can go in Lydia's and I guess Amelie can have Mary's and then Hannah and Megan can share Kitty's." Elizabeth suggested.

"The old double up," Thomas said warmly, "It's a good job I converted the attic when you and your sisters were small."

"More likely you did it to stop Lydia from whining." Jane pointed out.

"Sadly, she hasn't changed in that respect." Thomas sighed.

"Well it's her loss. She chose to go with mum to Ed and Maddie's in Spain." Elizabeth concluded.

"I just appreciate you all going to so much trouble to spend Christmas with me." Thomas said warmly.

"It's no trouble, Thomas." Will stated.

The TV indicated the end of The Snowman and The Snow Dog, causing the children to start turning their attention away from the screen.

"Mum I'm hungry!" Amelie complained.

Thomas chuckled.

"Come on kids, I think Mrs. Hill is laying some food out on the table."

Elizabeth watched as her children and her nieces followed her dad out of the living room and down into the dining room. Hearing the clanging of plates as the children began helping themselves to whatever had been laid out on the table.

"Do you think your dad's pleased?" Will whispered.

She turned her head to look at her husband, smiling at him.

"Thank you for bringing us here." Elizabeth said quietly.

"Merry Christmas, Lizzy." Will murmured.

Pressing her lips to her husband's, she gave him a light kiss before pulling away.

"Merry Christmas, Will."

With no more to say, the rest of the adults got up from their seats and walked to the dining room to join the others.


	4. Christmas Day

**A/N** : Apologies, I meant to get this chapter posted a few days ago but I've been a little busy. We've got another four to go before the end of this story which I hope to post over the next week. WDTA and ANB will get an update towards the end of the week.

I hope you all had a good Christmas and I wish you lovely readers a Happy New Year!

Enjoy!

 **Chapter Three**

 **Christmas Day**

Thomas sat in his study, wrapped up in his pyjamas and thick dressing gown, looking up at the clock and noting how it wouldn't be long until Rose was up. It was one of the things he loved dearly about his eldest granddaughter, she loved Christmas and when she was excited she wouldn't sleep very much. Every year Rose was always up in the early hours of the morning and this year he wanted to wait up for her. Everyone else was asleep, Jane and Charles had remained at Longbourn with the girls and he couldn't contain his joy at having a house full of people again. Three days ago, he believed he would be facing a lonely Christmas and now he was surrounded by two of his daughters and all his seven grandchildren. Underneath the Christmas tree presents were overflowing and stockings had been hung over the fireplace for each of the children in age order and filled with several different little items each of the children would love. The snow was falling as he looked out of his window, hoping it would lay so they would be able to carry on the tradition of going sledging down the village hills once the presents had been unwrapped.

Just as he expected, the door to his study creaked open ajar, the light from the hallway creeping in and adding to the light in the room. He saw two big brown eyes and a mass of curly hair look through the gap, smiling widely when Thomas gestured for her to come into the room. Rose closed the door behind her, skipping over to him and sitting on the rug at the bottom of his feet.

"Couldn't sleep Rosie Posey?" Thomas chuckled.

Rose nodded.

"You know grandad I can never sleep on Christmas eve." Rose replied.

"I hope that never changes." Thomas sighed happily.

"Why would it change?" Rose asked, confused.

"Things change the older you get." Thomas replied.

"Like what?"

"Just things change in life Rosie, it's an ordinary thing."

"You mean like how nan left you?"

Thomas sighed and nodded slightly, he hoped that Rose wouldn't want to talk more about it; the topic of his divorce wasn't exactly something he wanted to discuss with his ten-year-old granddaughter.

"Something like that darling." Thomas smiled.

"Grandad, don't be sad she left you." Rose said encouragingly.

"We were married for a long time Rosie, it's hard sometimes to not feel sad."

"Will my parents get divorced?"

Thomas patted his knee, wrapping his arm around Rose as she sat on his lap and cuddled into him. He hadn't meant to make her upset, with a worry that Elizabeth and William would get divorced.

"No, they won't sweetheart. Do you know why?"

"Because they love each other?" Rose guessed.

"That's right," Thomas said warmly, "They love each other. And your parents have the kind of love that will last forever. They found their way back to each other, they are there for each other through everything, they get through the bad and the good and look after one another."

"But…didn't you feel that way about nan?" Rose asked.

Thomas sighed. One thing that hadn't changed about his eldest granddaughter was her curious nature to ask a lot of questions and he decided to take an example out of Elizabeth's book, to tell her the truth as much as it permitted.

"Your nan and I had a different kind of love, Rose. I loved your nan, I did. And we made each other happy a long time ago but your nan…she's a bit…old fashioned. Your nan's parents believed that boys were more important than girls, so your nan really wanted us to have a boy, but we never did. We only had five girls."

"Oh…so nan was disappointed that she never gave you a boy?"

"I think so. But I was happy with five girls, beautiful girls. And I think your nan changed and in some ways, I changed too. But we had five girls, we were a family. And sometimes adults have silly arguments." Thomas explained.

"Nan never liked me…did she?" Rose asked.

"It was never you, Rose. When you were in your mum's tummy, things were a bit hard." Thomas replied delicately.

"I know. Mum told me that she was alone, she thought dad didn't want us."

Thomas nodded, knowing that Reginald had told Rose a while ago before he passed away the truth behind why she went without her dad for the first three years of her life. It amazed him how Rose hadn't been upset with her other grandad, she was able to see that people made mistakes and Reginald had been a wonderful, devoted grandfather to Elizabeth and William's children in the years after Rose had formed a bond with him. Reginald had apologised to Rose and instantly, the amazing little girl forgave him because she saw the person he was, not the person he used to be.

"Don't ever think you aren't loved, Rosie Posey. It's your nan's loss that she doesn't get to be apart of your life and see you grow up. She doesn't get to spend time with you and make memories with you like I do. And I wouldn't trade you kids for anything." Thomas said quietly.

Rose smiled widely up at him.

"I love you grandad."

"I love you too sweetheart. Now, why don't we have some hot chocolate?" Thomas suggested.

Rose grinned.

"Mum doesn't like me having too much hot chocolate." She reminded him.

"I know. But…your mum is still asleep…it'll be our little secret." Thomas chuckled mischievously.

Returning his mischievous smile, Rose hopped off his lap and helped him to his feet; the two of them heading into the kitchen to make a hot chocolate together.

ooOoo

The rest of the house were awake at seven in the morning. The children came running down the stairs as if a herd of elephants were in the house and excitedly made their way into the living room to see the huge pile after pile of presents waiting to be unwrapped. Jane, Charles, William and Alice were seconds behind the children, all yawning and pulling dressing gowns around them tighter to keep warm. Rose, who had gone back to sleep at four in the morning was asleep on the sofa with a thick blanket draped over her to keep her warm while Thomas slept in the armchair until he had been woken up by his grandchildren. Elizabeth came down about ten minutes later, she had just finished breastfeeding Henry and cradled the baby against her chest as he chewed on his fist.

"Morning all." Elizabeth greeted happily.

"Merry Christmas." Came the many replies as Alice started handing out presents for everyone to unwrap.

"Lizzy, do you want me to take Henry?" Thomas offered.

Elizabeth smiled and handed the baby over to her dad, watching admirably as her dad's eyes lit up as he started entertaining her baby son. As she watched the baby laugh and coo as her dad started singing nursery rhymes and playing peek-a-boo with Henry, she silently told herself that this was the best thing she could have done this Christmas. Her dad was watching as six of his grandchildren opened their Christmas presents excitedly while the rest of the adults took turns to open Henry's presents. Just seeing her dad so happy, that was enough for her.

"Hey mum?" Rose called out over the loud sounds of excited shrieks and wrapping paper being torn open.

"Yes darling?" Elizabeth asked.

"Thank you for bringing us here, this is the best Christmas ever!" Rose replied warmly.

Elizabeth looked to her dad, noting how Rose's declaration brought tears to his eyes. Rose went back to opening her presents like her siblings and cousins were doing. Many 'thank yous' were shouted at them by the children who were chuffed with their presents and eventually, the last of the children's presents were opened and Alice took the six of them into the dining room to eat their breakfast while the adults opened their presents.

After they were done opening their presents, they joined the children in the dining room to help themselves to toast or bacon sandwiches that Charles and Will had cooked up, with Rose getting down from her seat and heading over to the window, peering out of the curtain and turning back to them with more excitement in her eyes.

"Mum, dad there's snow! Can we go sledging?" she asked.

Elizabeth laughed lightly as she bounced Henry on her knee.

"Alright. Go and get dressed, we'll head out in a little while."

The adults laughed as the six children ran back up the stairs to get changed out of their pyjamas and into some warm, thick winter clothing that had been packed the day before. Giving the children a five minute head start, the adults hauled themselves off the sofa and went upstairs to change.

ooOoo

The snow was falling slowly as the children clambered up the steepest hill in the village. Ally, still too small for the steep climb had ended up getting a piggy back ride on Rose's back who had so much energy, she was already near the top whilst Will, Charles, Jane and Elizabeth hauled the sledges to the top. Thomas couldn't help but laugh as she pulled his one behind him, remembering how it felt when his children were small. He still remembered the excitement of his daughters climbing the hills with their sledges, it was something that he had introduced when Jane and Elizabeth had been old enough to walk and be steady on their feet, Fran only came along because he had insisted she be a part of it. But Fran never had liked the cold much, having always preferred the warmer months in the year. But snow wasn't something you saw every day, so when it did come to the winter and the snow began to fall, he wanted to make lasting memories with his daughters.

And even when his girls got older, the excitement remained. He had always assumed it was because it as their Bennet family tradition. And Rose's second Christmas, when his granddaughter was four months off turning two, had been the first time he'd introduced sledging to a grandchild. Even now, knowing Rose was four months off turning eleven, he still remembered that hilarious chuckle when he'd gone down the sledge with her for the first time, it hadn't been a hill as steep as this one, but Rose still enjoyed the experience just the same.

Finally, they had all made it to the top of the hill, all waving down at Alice who had Henry wrapped in a thick snowsuit in his baby carrier attached to her chest. He watched as Rose climbed onto one of the five sledges with Ally, Tom climbing onto a second with Will while Charles climbed onto the third with Hannah, Jane partnering up with Megan while he partnered up with Amelie.

"RACE, RACE, RACE…" the children chanted.

"One…Two…Three…GO!" Will shouted.

The adults kicked off from the ground, holding tightly onto the child who sat in front of them as they whizzed down the hill, going over the bumps in the snow, the children screaming with delight as they all raced down the hill, faster and faster until they reached the bottom; with Charles and Hannah landing at the bottom of the hill first.

"We won daddy! We won!" Hannah cheered happily.

"Let's go again!" Amelie shouted excitedly.

Thomas watched as his grandchildren ran up the hill again, holding on to each other's hands as they made their way up in the snow.

"They don't even give us a minute to rest!" Charles laughed.

The adults started making their way up the hill, dragging the sledges behind them as they struggled in the snow. When they reached the top, the children climbed on to the sledges with an adult (or Rose in Ally's case) and raced down the hill, repeating the climbing and racing up and down the hill for what seemed like an eternity. Thomas continued to smile at the chanting of 'Race, Race, Race' from the children, enjoying the little victory dance Ally and Rose did when the two won the fourth race down the hill. They enjoyed a sixth race down the hill, only when Will and Tom had won the sixth race did the adults notice just how red the children's noses and cheeks were.

"Come on, time to head inside and warm up." Elizabeth instructed.

The disappointed "Ohhhhh…"s came in unison from the six children but Jane and Charles backed up Elizabeth's instruction to their three. Alice had already headed back to Longbourn with Henry after the fourth race, not wanting the baby to get cold.

"Come on kids, let's go and warm up. You can watch a film with me while your parents get Christmas dinner ready." Thomas said warmly.

"Okay. But nothing too girly!" Tom stated.

Thomas laughed at his grandson's determination to watch nothing too girly, to which he assumed Tom had watched enough of the Disney Princess franchise over the years. Together, they all walked back through the snow carrying the sledges with the thought of hot chocolate to warm them up in their minds.

When they had arrived back at Longbourn, coats, scarves, hats and gloves were quickly removed as the children hurried inside the living room. Elizabeth headed upstairs to her old bedroom where Alice had put Henry down for a nap, the baby was due a feed. Will and Charles had headed through to the kitchen, taking over from Mrs. Hill with the dinner preparations, leaving the housekeeper, Jane, Alice and Thomas to watch A Muppet Christmas Carol with the children.

The children sat in silence, their eyes glued to the TV as the film played on the large screen, the only words escaping their mouths were the thankyous that came when Will and Charles gave each of them a cup of hot chocolate.

"So…is Christmas turning out to be better than you expected, Thomas?" Mrs. Hill asked.

Thomas looked at his housekeeper, tightening his arm around Megan as she sat on his lap and nodded.

"It definitely is." He replied with a grin.

ooOOo

For the first time in countless years, Elizabeth was amazed at how everyone had been fitted into the living room. The already large dining table had been extended by the pull out in the middle with one of the smaller tables being pulled out of the storage cupboard to accommodate the extra bodies. A white plastic Christmas designed sheet had been placed over the table, with the children pointing out the various Christmas themed pictures on the sheet. The children had been squeezed together on one side of the table, with Jane finishing off the row, Mrs. Hill and Alice were seated at either end of the table and the rest of the adults on the other side. Up and down the table the food had been placed so everyone could help themselves as they went along, steaming bowls of carrots, peas and broccoli had been placed into two bowls at either end while a separate plate contained the Brussel sprouts and the parsnips had also been placed. Two jugs of gravy, a large plate containing stuffing balls, pigs in blankets and a tray of roast potatoes sat in the middle with the plate of cut turkey slices at the centre.

The children fidgeted impatiently on their seats as the adults filled their plates with food first before helping themselves and when everyone was seated, there were many exchanges of 'Merry Christmas' and the sound of the gold Christmas crackers being picked up; with everyone taking hold of the free end and on the count of three, they pulled. The sound of cracking and banging filled the room, with everyone scrambling inside the crackers to pull out the thin, different coloured hats that came with the small prize and joke.

Elizabeth put on her orange hat and picked up the small piece of paper that had her joke written on.

"How do snowmen get around?" she asked loudly.

"They ride an icicle." Rose replied with a laugh.

"Lucky guess Rosie." Thomas chuckled.

Rose shrugged, "Dad had that joke last year." She said, tucking into her food.

"I got one! I got one!" Megan announced, waving her piece of paper in the air before passing it over to Jane.

"What goes Oh, Oh, Oh?" Jane asked.

"What?" Amelie asked.

"Santa walking backwards."

Elizabeth smiled as the children laughed at the badly written jokes that came with Christmas crackers, but it was something that made Christmas even more special. As she tucked into her dinner, she watched as her dad looked around at everyone who sat at the table. Seeing his face, watching him smile and laugh and look grateful for having a very hectic Christmas around him was something she had wanted to see. The presents she was gifted this year didn't matter. Watching her children play, laugh, tease their siblings and their cousins, pester their grandfather into doing this and that with them was what mattered. Making her family happy, is the best thing she could have done this Christmas.


	5. Boxing Day

**Chapter Four**

 **Boxing Day**

It was afternoon, the sky covered in dull whiteish grey clouds, making the snow fall to the ground every now and then. The heavy snow that had been forecasted never came, the only snow that did was nothing heavier than the usual snow the Meryton villagers saw every winter. Thomas Bennet was stood in the Longbourn grounds, wrapped up tightly in a thick coat, a thick pair of gloves on his hands and a matching hat covering his head, building snowmen with his granddaughters. They had just finished up eating the leftover turkey in sandwiches Alice had made for them all before Will had put Henry down for his nap and he had offered to watch the children, so Elizabeth and Will could have some alone time together. And when he had asked his grandchildren what they had wanted to do, instantly they had wanted to go out in the snow. So, here they were. Having changed into the fluffiest pair of pyjamas that Jane had gifted them for Christmas, wearing fluffy socks and their wellies, along with their coats, scarves, gloves and hats and rolling a large ball of snow to build the base of the snowman.

"Grandad, how big do we make them?" Amelie asked.

"As big as you want Amy." Thomas replied.

Keeping six children entertained was quite a challenge, he had forgotten what it had been like to keep them entertained, it had been years since his own had been children and he'd only had the five. Rose and Tom were busy building a snow dog, like the one they had seen in The Snowmn and The Snowdog on Christmas eve. Hannah, Megan and Ally were building a smaller snowman whilst he worked with Amelie on one.

"Can we build a snow wall soon?" Tom asked.

Thomas nodded with a smile.

"You want that snow fight, eh Tom?"

His grandson nodded, continuing to help Rose with the building.

"Okay grandad, I think we can move on to the middle part." Amelie instructed.

Thomas turned around, walking across the snow to the large pile that Charles and Will had shoveled for them to use to build snowmen and starting to make a larger ball, rolling it across the ground until he arrived back where Amelie was standing with their snowman. They continued to add handfuls of snow to the ball until it was big enough for Thomas to pick it up and lift it on to the base that he and Amelie had already built and shaped.

"Now it's time for the head." Amelie said with a smile.

He repeated his earlier actions, gathering enough snow to make a third and final smaller ball for the head of the snowman, lifting it on top of the middle one once it was finished. Amelie started wandering towards the trees that stood in the garden, looking for twigs to use to decorate their snowman. Tom and Rose had finished their snow dog and were helping the other three to finish building the other snowman whilst Amelie came running back over with an armful of twigs and stones she had found.

"Grandad, can you do the eyes and the smile, I can't reach." Amelie requested.

"Sure, sweetheart." Thomas replied.

He placed two stones into the head of the snowman to make the eyes, using the other five that Amelie had given to him to form a smile for the mouth. Amelie used the twigs she had found for the arms, prodding them deeply into the middle of the snowman that they had created for the torso.

"It's missing a nose!" Hannah pointed out, running over to them.

"You're right Han." Amelie said.

"Why don't you girls go and find a carrot from the kitchen?" Thomas suggested, "If you need some help, ask Alice to give you a hand."

His granddaughters nodded their heads as they ran back inside the house, leaving Thomas outside with the other four children. The girls finished off their snowman as he and Tom moved a little further away from the house and started to build a snow wall. Soon they were joined by the girls, who had placed the finishing touch on the snowmen in the form of carrot noses and they rushed to build another snow wall a few feet away from snowmen.

ooOoo

"So, have you enjoyed Christmas?" Will asked.

Elizabeth smiled as she walked hand in hand with her husband in the snow. When her dad had offered to have the children for a little while, she and Will had taken up the opportunity to have some quality time alone together. Even with how hectic their lives were, with four kids and their everyday needs, getting used to running a manor house and the grounds as well as renting the properties that came along with it, they still tried their best to spend some time alone together. Although it sometimes was hard to ensure they did.

"I have. It's been a very enjoyable time. I just wish we didn't have to go home tomorrow." Elizabeth replied.

"I know. I've seen how happy your dad has been to be surrounded by all of us these last few days. In fact, I've been doing some thinking." Will mused.

She raised an eyebrow as they strolled lazily through the village, taking care to keep an eye out for icy patches on the pavement.

"Thinking about what?" she asked.

"About the kids, you, your dad. When we leave tomorrow, we'll go back to Pemberley and your sister, Charles and the girls will go back to Netherfield, which will mean your dad is alone in that big house again." He replied.

"It's just one of those things, Will." Elizabeth sighed.

"But he doesn't have to be."

Elizabeth stopped walking, tugging on her husband's hand as she did. She looked him in the eye, knowing that look he got when he was going to propose something to her.

"What do you have in mind?" Elizabeth questioned.

"What if your dad came back with us to Pemberley for New Year?"

She knew in a heartbeat that her dad wouldn't turn down the offer of spending New Year with them at Pemberley if they asked him.

"Is that what you want?" she asked.

"He's my father-in-law, I care about his wellbeing. I think an extended stay with us over New Year will do everyone some good." Will replied.

"Are you sure?"

Will cupped her face in his hands, smiling down at her. He whispered his confirmation against her lips and kissed her deeply. She closed her eyes, winding her arms around her neck and stood on her tiptoes to push herself closer to him. He groaned into her mouth as the kiss intensified, until Elizabeth pulled away from his lips to catch her breath. She noticed that look in his eyes, that same one he'd always had and smiled at him.

"In seven years of being back with you, I've never been surer of anything than the way I feel about you." He muttered breathlessly.

"I love you, Will, always." Elizabeth said with a smile.

"You still drive me crazy. All I care about is making you and our family happy."

"Ditto."

She placed her feet back on the ground as he gestured for the two of them to carry on with their walk. The snow was picking up faster as they carried on through the village, making a quick stop by their house that had once been their family home and was now rented to another family to see if their newer tenants needed anything while they were in the area. When their tenants confirmed they didn't need anything, that they were fine and enjoying the house, Elizabeth felt that pang of sadness. The house had been their first home together, the first and only property they had bought as a couple. It had been the place of many firsts, where Tom and Ally had grown and had all their firsts, where Rose had spent a good six years growing up here, where they had first brought Henry home for the first few weeks of his life before they moved to Pemberley on a permanent basis. It was because of her fond memories that she had been reluctant to sell the house, she wanted to keep it in the family, for their children to have it when she and Will were no longer alive. She felt the same way about Longbourn, it had been a part of her life and Rose's for so long, it wasn't easy for her being away from her childhood home.

"I miss it to." Will said.

Elizabeth met her husband's gaze, nodding her head slightly.

"We have so many memories in our house. But we made the right decision to move to Pemberley, we needed to." She replied.

"I know. The lack of space was getting a bit much after we had Henry." He agreed.

"I think Rose and Ally were excited at the thought of having their own bedrooms." Elizabeth laughed.

After Reginald had passed away, they had spent their weekends at Pemberley to slowly transition their children to the eventual move there on a full-time basis. When they had made the decision to uproot the family, their children had been a little sad at leaving behind their aunt and uncle, their cousins, their grandfather, the school that Rose and Tom had been at where Elizabeth had worked as a teacher, they knew that there was no point in applying Ally for a place at the same school because they knew they were moving to Pemberley, but the children were also quite eager about living there at Pemberley as well. Rose, on their weekends they had spent before Reginald had died, had taken up riding lessons and the thought of having more lessons on a regular basis appealed to her, as well as having her own bedroom where she didn't have to co-ordinate the space she had shared with Ally.

"There's also something else that I wanted to run by you, if you're willing?"

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, her husband certainly was full of proposals over the last few days.

"I'm listening."

ooOoo

When the couple arrived back on the snow-covered driveway at Longbourn, they were greeted by a heavy snowball to the face. Elizabeth and Will shrieked in surprise as their faces turned even colder from the contact, with both of them brushing the snow out of their faces to see their daughter looking at them biting her lip.

"Oops. Sorry mum, sorry dad, I guess my aim is off!" Rose laughed.

Elizabeth heard the taunts of the other children as she watched their children and nieces running around after her dad. Even as he was getting older, her dad was still fighting fit for his age to run around after five children under the age of ten.

"That's alright Rosie, are you having fun?" Will asked.

"A lot of fun! We built snowmen with grandad and then Tom wanted to build snow walls to have a snow fight but it kind of got a little out of control. Instead of teams, we kind of starting chasing grandad." Rose replied.

"Well you certainly look like you've had a good time." Elizabeth smiled.

"Can you join in as well?" Rose asked.

Elizabeth shook her head.

"Sorry Rose, it's cold out and you all have been out in the snow long enough for today. Let's get inside and warm up, we can do some arts and crafts in a little while." She instructed.

Will went over to get the other children rounded up and led them back inside the house while Elizabeth strolled over to her dad.

"Thank you for watching them." She said gratefully.

Thomas smiled at her.

"No need to thank me, I've enjoyed having them around the last few days. Thank you, Lizzy, this has been the best Christmas present I've ever had!" he replied.

"I'm glad you've had a good Christmas."

"I'll miss you all when you leave tomorrow. Charles and Jane are taking the girls to spend New Year with Louisa and Jonathan and their kids."

Elizabeth nodded. It had been a thing that Jane and Charles had done for the last few years, spending Christmas with Charles's older sister, their brother-in-law and their two children. She had only met the Hursts on a few occasions in the past, but she got the impression that Louisa was more like Charles in nature than their younger sister Caroline, who had been washed away after the crazy woman had conspired to harm Rose at Jane and Charles's wedding, all to get Will all to herself. Caroline was a thing of the past now, they hadn't seen her since Caroline had turned up on their doorstep begging Charles for a minute of explanation. The last she had heard about Caroline was when Jane mentioned a few weeks back that Caroline had sent them an invitation to her wedding, to some rich man she had met in London, her sister and brother-in-law refused to attend the wedding.

"Dad, there's something I wanted to ask you." Elizabeth informed him.

The two started a slow walk back from the gardens to the front of the house.

"What's that?" Thomas asked.

"Will and I were wondering if you'd like to spend New Year with us?"

There was a brief pause before Thomas looked at her gratefully.

"I don't want to invade on your family time-"

"You won't be invading on anything!" Elizabeth insisted, "You are family. You're my dad. You're the children's grandfather. Come back to Pemberley and spend New Year with us all."

"I'd love that." Thomas smiled, a happy tear falling down his cheek.

"There's something else as well."

"Oh?"

Elizabeth couldn't help the smile on her face.

"Will and I were wondering if you wanted to come up and stay with us. So, every other weekend, you could come and stay with us for the weekend or we could come down to you with the children for the weekend. We feel that it would be beneficial to all of us." She explained.

"Lizzy, I-"

"Don't try and persuade me otherwise. The children have already lost a grandfather this year and now we're not living so close to you anymore, we still want them to have a regular visit with you. I know you've got your own life before you try and argue that you'll be fine. But, I miss you dad. The kids miss you. We miss Longbourn and being around the village and seeing Jane, Charles and the girls. The last four months haven't been the same without seeing you every day."

Seeing her dad give her that familiar look of giving in, he laughed and nodded.

"Then how can I refuse?" Thomas chuckled.

Elizabeth laughed alongside her dad, feeling a burst of happiness within her now that they had come to a solution of making sure her dad wouldn't be alone anymore.


	6. New Years Eve

**A/N:** Chapter six will be the last chapter for this little story, hopefully to be posted later this week as I'm feeling under the weather again.

Enjoy.

 **Chapter Five**

 **New Year's Eve**

The last few days had been magical for Thomas. The day after Boxing Day he had said goodbye to Mrs. Hill and locked up Longbourn and then got in the car with his family and joined them back at Pemberley. He had spent the last few days just spending time with his grandchildren, playing transformers with Tom, allowed Ally to pretend play doctors with him where he'd suffered a sprained wrist, a broken leg, a high temperature and had suffered a bang to the head according to his granddaughter's diagnosis. He didn't ask where Ally had gotten the bandages from, but he was certain that she had stolen them from a first aid kit somewhere. So, when he'd appeared in the dining room to join everyone else for dinner covered head to toe looking like an extra in a mummy film, Thomas had certainly been a subject of entertainment for everyone that night.

It was New Year's Eve, and the snow had gone, washed away by a heavy rainstorm the night before which left the Pemberley grounds looking its usual green and brown rather than a white landscape. While it had stopped raining, the dark grey clouds remained in the sky. Thomas walked across the grounds, pacing quickly as he watched the golden retriever run quickly after the tennis ball he had thrown. The dog came running back to him, causing him to stop in his tracks as he took the slimy ball from the dog's mouth.

"Good girl Macey. Go get it!" Thomas said encouragingly, throwing the ball as far as he could.

The dog barked excitedly, running after the ball again as he carried on walking. He felt the mud squelch under his wellies as he walked, noting to himself that Macey would most likely need a bath on his return to the house. Macey waked alongside him, tennis ball still inside her mouth until they came to a stop at the training paddock. He stood at the fence next to Elizabeth, watching as his eldest granddaughter rode around the paddock while receiving instructions from her riding instructor. She had only been having lessons for a short time, but Thomas loved watching her horse riding, he envied how at ease Rose seemed as she trotted her pony around the paddock.

"She's getting good." Thomas noted.

Elizabeth nodded in agreement.

"Rose wants to take part in competitions, but I've told her to leave it for a while until she's gotten more practice at it. When Reginald first suggested she take riding lessons, she wanted to dive straight into the deep end until Alice convinced her that she had to start at the very beginning. There's no way she could sit on a horse, so Reginald bought some ponies for the children, not that Tom or Ally are ready for lessons yet." She explained.

Thomas chuckled.

"Rose has no fear. I hope this is something she'll stick to as she gets older. We don't want her becoming some screen addicted teenager." He said warmly.

Elizabeth nodded her agreement.

"Will and I limit their screen time. Sure, we watch a lot of films with the children but they don't have tablets and phones, they're only allowed to play games on the computer once or twice a week and we push for them to be outside as much as possible. But you know Rose, dad. She's always loved being outside, she's already asking when she can take Macey for a walk by herself." She explained.

"And when have you agreed for her to do the dog walking by herself?"

"Not until she's twelve and even then, it will be on the grounds where we can still see her from the house. As she gets older, she'll be able to take Macey away from the house and maybe into the village."

"Have you finished your secondary school application for her yet?" Thomas asked.

Elizabeth nodded sadly with Thomas wrapped an arm around her. It only seemed like yesterday that Rose was a cheeky three-and-a-half-year-old who had just met her dad for the first time and now she would be turning eleven in four months and starting secondary school in nine months. She was still cheeky, still thoughtful, still had that brilliant smile and loving nature, and he hoped that as Rose reached the teenage years, she wouldn't change too much.

"We submitted it a few weeks ago, we'll find out at the end of January where she's been enrolled. Will debated sending her to boarding school but I put my foot down. There's nothing wrong with a public school education and most of her friends from her new primary school are going to the local secondary school so she wanted to stay with them. We've agreed to let the children choose if they want to go to boarding school or not." Elizabeth sighed.

"You're right. You and your sisters went to a public secondary school and you turned out well. What are you going to do about work after Henry turns one?" Thomas asked.

"I haven't thought about it. I handed in my notice to Meryton Primary when we decided to move to Pemberley full-time and it's not like I need paid maternity, but they legally have to pay me for six months because I was pregnant before I handed in my notice, so I'm just putting my maternity pay into the children's savings accounts. I might look for another teaching position at some of the local schools that aren't a ridiculous drive away from here, but Will and I are agreed that I don't need to worry about work yet, not until Henry is a year old." Elizabeth replied.

"You've got a while yet."

"I know. We're just enjoying the time with the kids right now, we don't want to make decisions in the future when we're just adjusting to living here."

"It's a very grand house." Thomas said admirably.

Elizabeth looked back at the manor house that stood in the distance and smiled.

"We're happy here, the kids are happy here. Of course, we miss living in Meryton but this is where we needed to be. The kids have more space, the air is fresher, and the views are beautiful." She said happily.

"Thank you, for inviting me to spend New Year with you. This has been just what I needed." Thomas smiled.

Elizabeth squeezed her dad's hand as they continued to watch Rose ride around the paddock.

"Have you heard from mum at all?" she asked.

Thomas nodded slightly.

"Sort of. She had Lydia call me before Christmas. Your mother definitely wants a divorce and I'm willing to grant her one. She wants half the savings and half the ownership to Longbourn and for me to set up a spousal maintenance order." He replied grimly.

"I'm sorry, I know she's my mother but what a money-grabbing old cow!"

Thomas laughed.

"Dad, you didn't agree to her terms, did you?" Elizabeth asked quickly.

"No, I didn't Lizzy. I told her that she could have half the savings but she's not having another penny out of me nor is she having half the ownership of Longbourn, that's mine. We legally have to be separated for two years before we can apply for divorce and in that time period I'm planning on drawing up a divorce agreement." Thomas replied.

"If you need Will to give you a hand with anything, let us know. He knows a few people who specialize in divorce and family law." Elizabeth offered.

"Thanks love. I'm sure it'll be fine. Your mother and I still have a long way to go before we get to applying for a divorce. It's only been a few months and I intend to know my legal rights before anything is signed. Don't worry about that."

"So, what does Lydia have to say about it all?"

"You know what your sister is like. She doesn't care about how I feel in all of this." Thomas sighed.

"To be honest, you haven't really elaborated on how you feel about mum leaving you. This is why I'm so worried about you being lonely." Elizabeth pointed out.

"I loved your mother once, Lizzy. But over the years…I guess your mother and I kind of had that love that wasn't meant to last. We hardly spent time together and the time we did spend together was mostly spent arguing. When she told me that she wanted a divorce and that she was going to live with Ed and Maddie in Spain it came more as a surprise to me than anything else. Now I'm just…adjusting…I guess." Thomas explained.

"I'm sorry dad." Elizabeth said softly.

"It's not your fault, Lizzy. I'll be fine. Perhaps your mother has done us both a favour by leaving, we were making each other miserable and if this is what she wants to be happy, then I wish her the best of luck."

"I don't think it's in her nature to be happy. Whenever she gets what she wants, she still isn't happy and wants more to grasp."

Thomas smiled, perhaps his daughter was right about his ex-wife. Fran never seemed satisfied with anything as he reflected on the last thirty odd years of his life. The fact that they had five daughters together and no boys had been hard for Fran to deal with, with every pregnancy that came his wife would promise him that this time would be the time they would have the son she desperately wanted to give him; despite his assurances that he wasn't fussed if he had a son or daughter, just as long as the baby was healthy was what mattered to him. And after Lydia was born, the brutal delivery of his youngest had taken a toll on Fran, with the doctors telling them that another pregnancy was inadvisable. So, he'd taken the measures necessary for himself to prevent his wife from becoming pregnant again.

In the paddock, Rose had finished her riding lesson and had dismounted the pony, with the instructor telling the girl that he would take the pony back to the stables. Rose came running out of the paddock and over to where they had been stood watching her.

"Did you see me grandad?" Rose asked.

Thomas nodded.

"I did, you're getting really good." He replied encouragingly.

"Thanks."

The three of them walked back to the house together just as the rain started pouring down lightly. Macey ran ahead of them with Rose, who had taken the tennis ball the dog had been slobbering over and threw the ball in the direction of the house.

ooOoo

The rest of the day had been spent helping Alice in the kitchen preparing some food for the evening as they celebrated the countdown to the New Year as a family. Alice had sent the staff home for some well deserved time off when they had returned on the twenty-seventh and had taken it upon herself to make sure that the family were fed. Elizabeth had helped her whenever she needed an extra hand, with tonight being one of those times. They weren't cooking a normal dinner, instead preparing a buffet of foods in the dining room where everyone could help themselves as they watched The Sound of Music together.

For most of the late afternoon to late evening as the film played on the TV in the living room, Tom was playing with his new remote-control car, Ally was colouring with her new pencils while looking up at the TV when it took her interest and Rose was sat watching the film with Will and her dad. Elizabeth walked into the living room, sitting in the empty spot next to Will and bounced Henry on her knee, letting out little chuckles as her baby son laughed at her.

"How's my boy?" Will asked.

"He's good. Very happy." Elizabeth replied.

"Let me take him." Will requested.

Handing the baby over to her husband, Elizabeth watched as Will supported Henry by putting his feet up on the coffee table, bending his knees and laying Henry against his legs as he started to play peek-a-boo with the baby, with Henry chuckling away like mad every time Will shouted 'boo'. Seeing her children all happy and relaxed but all of them together as a family, was how she wanted to see the new year in.


	7. New Years Day

**Chapter Six**

 **New Year's Day**

The previous night had been spent eating the party food that Alice and Elizabeth had cooked. From Alice's homemade sausage rolls, to the homemade pizza that Elizabeth had made. The dining table had been set up with all sorts of homemade party food to the few things that Elizabeth had picked up at the supermarket and the family had seen the New Year in with the children falling asleep all over the living room, tired from the various things they had been doing the whole day until just after midnight after watching the London fireworks display being set off on the television, they had all called it a night and dragged themselves off to bed.

They had woken in the late morning, deciding to settle on an early lunch than a late breakfast and had eaten in the dining room. Henry had been given his morning feed, the children had changed into a fresh pair of pyjamas after Will had said they would just have a lazy day lounging about the house. So, after their bellies were filled with a cooked breakfast, they sat in the living room around the coffee table. While Elizabeth played with Henry, Thomas set up the board for Monopoly and Will explained the rules to the children.

"Daddy, can we play together?" Ally asked.

Will smiled.

"Yes, Ally. Tom, do you want to team up with anyone?"

But Tom shook his head, examining the playing pieces that represented the players.

"No, but I wanna be the dog." Tom informed them.

"But I wanted the dog!" Rose argued.

"Kids." Thomas warned.

The start of the would-be bickering ended quickly, with Thomas deciding to play as the dog to avoid potential arguments between his grandchildren whilst Alice opted for the iron, Will and Ally chose the boat while Rose played as the shoe and Tom as the top hat. The game began, with Will and Ally starting it off as they rolled an eight and moved down the board. The sound of dice rolling across the board, the sound of tapping as each player moved their playing piece around, a lot of them shouting 'BUY' when they landed on a property that hadn't been bought yet.

Thomas smiled as Rose landed on the Mayfair square, declaring her intention to buy it so that Will and Ally couldn't pair it up with the Park Lane that they had won on their previous turn. So far, the game was going well and the levels of competitivity were kept quite low. Thomas reminisced about the days when his daughters were around the same ages, maybe a bit older than his grandchildren and he had introduced Monopoly to his girls. It had been another tradition to play the popular board game over the New Year period, with his girls doubling up if Maddie and Ed were spending the holiday with them. Fran would usually team up with Lydia and both would throw a strop if the other players got the higher paying properties in the game or if they were the first ones to declare 'bankruptcy'. He chuckled to himself as he remembered one year when Jane, Elizabeth, Kitty and Lydia had been playing the game with him and Elizabeth, being a mischievous one like Rose, had made a secret pact with Jane to buy the other properties of a set that Lydia had set her eye on.

"What's so funny, grandad?" Rose asked.

"I'm just remembering a time when your mum and Auntie Jane were playing monopoly with Kitty and Lydia." Thomas replied.

Ally rolled the dice for her turn and Will moved the boat four squares from their previous position.

"What time was that?" Elizabeth asked, in between making babbling noises at Henry.

"The year that you and Jane made a secret pact to buy all the properties on the board that Lydia set her eye on. You wanted to stop her from getting a complete set." Thomas chuckled amusingly.

Elizabeth gave him an impish smile as she met Thomas' eyes.

"She used to wind me and Jane up all the time. From nicking our make-up to nicking our DVDs, she even ruined Jane's nail varnish that Maddie and Ed had given to her the week before at Christmas. It served her right!" she laughed defensively.

"What happened to Auntie Lydia, grandad?" Tom asked.

"Well, your Auntie Lydia takes thing a little too seriously, she sometimes didn't want to have fun. So, when your mum and Auntie Jane kept buying all the other properties in a set she wanted in a game of monopoly, she got a bit cross and threw the board across the room." Thomas replied.

"And ruined a perfectly good game of monopoly in the process." Elizabeth sighed.

"I seem to recall that you got on your own back on her for that." Thomas said, raising an eyebrow.

"What did you do Lizzy?" Alice asked.

"I may have replaced her chocolates with mud…" Elizabeth said innocently.

"That's mean mummy!" Ally scolded.

"They were always teasing each other when they were growing up." Thomas said merrily.

"Well Auntie Lydia is mean, I bet she deserved it!" Rose added defensively.

Elizabeth reached over and ruffled her daughter's curls as a silent thankyou and then went back to sitting comfortably and playing with Henry.

"Did you tell mummy off grandad?" Tom questioned.

"They were all told off for playing tricks." Thomas answered.

"I remember when you grounded Lydia for two weeks for putting itching powder in Mary's bedsheets." Elizabeth mused.

Thomas grimaced, that particular time had made him angry. Lydia had put itching powder in the washing machine when Mrs. Hill had been washing Mary's bed linen and when the sheets had been dried and placed back on Mary's bed, she had reacted so badly to it that Fran had to take Mary to the doctor's surgery to get a stronger cream to treat the rash that Mary had come out in. Thomas was used to his daughter's playing pranks on each other when they were growing up but when Mary had a bad reaction that required a treatment cream stronger than what they had in the bathroom cupboard, it made him angry that a prank could have seriously damaged his daughter's skin, especially as Mary had the most sensitive skin out of anyone living at Longbourn. After punishing Lydia by grounding her for two weeks, he demanded that the pranks stop. And the future after that saw Lydia refuse to take part in games of monopoly at New Year.

After the game of monopoly was finished, they all packed up the game pieces for monopoly and Thomas offered to watch the children so that Elizabeth could have some time alone with William. Rose put the monopoly game away in the games cupboard and pulled out the connect four one to play.

ooOoo

After giving Henry his early afternoon feed and put him down for his nap, Elizabeth and Will changed into some fresh clothes and pulled on their boots and coats to go for a walk through the grounds. Elizabeth smiled as Will took hold of her hand as they walked, looking at the bare trees and noting how soon they would be fresh with leaves again and the dull grey clouds wouldn't be a frequent sight.

"Have you had a good Christmas and New Year?" Will asked as they walked across the grass.

Elizabeth nodded contentedly.

"It's been the best possible way to spend the festive season this year. And we're planning to spend more time with dad the next year which is a good thing. I hope you know just how much this all means to me, thank you." She replied.

Will smiled, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

"You don't need to thank me, Lizzy, you know that. I would do it all again if it meant your happiness and the children's. It's always the best thing to give the children a good Christmas with their grandad."

Elizabeth squeezed his hand gently, knowing that her husband had found it difficult. Despite his smiles, his laughter, his enjoyment this festive season, she knew that Will was silently thinking about how this Christmas and New Year had been the first without Reginald.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Will nodded stiffly.

"It's just…hard. Don't get me wrong, I have loved this Christmas and it has gone so much better than I thought it would. I've loved every second of it with you, Alice and the children but without dad…it's just hard." He sighed in reply.

"I'm glad that I got the chance to see him change, he really was a devoted grandad to the children."

"He was," Will agreed, "Dad really did change for the better. I just wish that I could have had him here for Christmas to see the children, spend time with them, let him meet Henry."

"If we could give the children that they would have loved it, but we can't bring back people who have passed away."

"I know. It might sound like a childish dream, but I wish I could sometimes."

Elizabeth shook her head, understanding what her husband had said. She didn't think it was a childish dream because she knew just how much Will missed his dad. She knew how much her children missed their grandfather and how much Alice missed her husband. With the past year being a difficult one, having lost Reginald and then having to move their children away from their childhood home to live at Pemberley on a full-time basis had meant that their family had been through a lot of changes and on the inside, Elizabeth shared her husband's desire to have the ability to bring back a loved one who had passed away.

"It doesn't sound childish to me, I think it's a perfectly natural dream." Elizabeth assured him softly.

Will squeezed her hand again as they came to a stop. Elizabeth looked up at her husband, the green fields becoming a blur as she focused on him.

"I love you, Lizzy."

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes as she whispered those words back to him and pressed her lips to his. As Will wrapped his arms around his wife's waist, the two of them lost themselves in the moment. They had four brilliant and beautiful children, a large and loving family and they had each other. Christmas and New Year was a time about coming together and this year was exactly what the Darcy family had done.

 **The End**

 **A/N:** Thank you for reading this story based on the Autumn Changes verse I've written. Sadly this is the end but stay tuned because I will be writing more with these characters later this year!


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